Royal Navy Research Archive Forums

Personnel => Royal Marines => Topic started by: Phil1963 on 14 October 2015 04:16:14 pm

Title: My grandad (again!)
Post by: Phil1963 on 14 October 2015 04:16:14 pm
I am wading through the 21 pages that the Marines kindly sent me and my grand-father was called up in 1942 (aged 36!!) and served 4 years in the Royal Marines Engineers, selected for such a posting I presume as he had worked in bus transport for the preceding decade. So far I have established that he served at Deal, Easthaven, Gorse Hill, Iceland (perhaps - see below), Italy and Lowestoft...... so they moved him about a bit. His discipline files are all clean though so he was well-behaved!
 However I'd be grateful if anybody explain the following please:
1) These two numbers crop up continuously - HBZ 8656 (this appears on one form next to the words "N. B. Register") and RME 13367 (Which is next to Reg number and also Port Divison and Offical number) - are they service numbers?
2) He joined as a "Marine", quickly made his way via Lance Corporal to Corporal and tree years later was promoted to Acting Sergt - was promotion on merit or exam (or shortage!)?
3) Between March and October 1943 he was posted to HMS Baldur 3 - was this the Baldur boat, or the land-base in Iceland?
4) He was posted to Det 375 R.M.E. between 16th May 1945 - 20th Feb 1945 and to Det 376  between 21st Feb 1945 - 8th May 1945 - any idea what these tasks/deployments involved? He was promoted to Sergt shortly before going on the latter.
5) He appears to have been released back to civvy life after a short period at H.M.S. Europa in Lowestoft.

Many thanks,
Phil
Title: Re: My grandad (again!)
Post by: PhiloNauticus on 15 October 2015 04:27:59 pm

...not an expert on Booties (Marines) at all, but can say that BALDUR III was the shore base at Hvitanes, Iceland.

See: http://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/FAA-Bases/Hvitanes.htm#.Vh_FAY1dHIU
Title: Re: My grandad (again!)
Post by: Deepankar Choudhury on 08 August 2018 12:34:18 pm
Yes the link you have provided which speaks the exact things
Title: Re: My grandad (again!)
Post by: Nooch31 on 24 January 2020 01:07:25 pm
Hi Phil1963,

Have sent you a message. Would love to hear from you as some of your grandads service record entries match my grandads!!
Thanks